Assata’s Daughters is a radical-left activist group based in Chicago, Illinois that operates paid and unpaid youth advocacy training programs. ^{1 2} Employees of its training programs state the goal of its advocacy is to abolish police and replace law enforcement with the radical anarchist concept of mutual aid. ³

Assata’s Daughters employs identity politics and has historically excluded non-Black individuals or males from joining. After creating a more formal structure in 2018, it began allowing males to join, but it states that it gives preference to those who “identify” as Black and female or nonbinary for acceptance into paid trainings. Additionally, it states that when it began accepting men into its programs, it used the opportunity to promote leftist ideas on toxic masculinity and “patriarchal oppression” in society and personal relationships. ^{4 5}

Background

Assata’s Daughters is a radical-left activist group based in Chicago, Illinois. Since its founding in 2015, Assata’s Daughters has trained Chicago youths to engage in political advocacy and pays a limited number of participants to join, but prioritizes hiring as paid employees those who “identify as Black,” are women, identify as women, or identify as “gender nonbinary.” ^{6 7}

Assata’s Daughters is named after Assata Shakur, a Black nationalist radical and leader of the Black Liberation Army, to signify that its advocacy is inspired by the work of Shakur. ⁸ Shakur prided herself in how she used communism as a foundation for her Black nationalist activism. She became infamous for her alleged involvement in bank robberies, kidnappings, and murders before being convicted and sentenced to life in prison for the 1973 murder of a New Jersey State Trooper. In 1979, Shakur escaped from prison, and in 2014, Shakur was listed among the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)’s top 10 most-wanted terrorists. ⁹

Advocacy Trainings

Assata’s Daughters has various youth programs for children between the ages of six and 18 who identify as a Black girl or Black and nonbinary. It also has several high school programs that pay members to show up to the trainings. The group states it may accept males, but preference is given to females and those who have a nonbinary gender identity. Assata’s Daughters’ training programs teach participants about left-of-center ideas on climate, Black history, and “Black feminism” and how to use them as a foundation to engage in policy advocacy at the local level. ^{10 11}

In a July 2020 interview with two members of Assata’s Daughters’ Revolutionary Support Team, whose job listing requires them to use a so-called anti-capitalist framework, they elaborated on the organization’s advocacy. ¹² In addition to participating in Black Lives Matter protests, the members stated that it is an explicit goal of the organization to advocate for abolishing police, including law enforcement assigned to schools, and to instead have communities implement the radical-left idea of mutual aid to take the place of law enforcement. They went so far as to say that it is harmful to spread ideas that the looting that took place during the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests or abolishing police are problematic. Additionally, the members from Assata’s Daughters suggested, “white people need to stop taking up so much space,” in reference to their presence at Black Lives Matter protests. ¹³

Leadership

Page May is a Chicago area radical-left activist and the founder of Assata’s Daughters. Prior to founding Assata’s Daughters, she worked with We Charge Genocide, which associates police violence with genocide of ethnic minorities and low-income individuals. ¹⁴ She made headlines in 2016 after leading a protest that included “f*** the police” chants for increased pay for teachers and a $15 minimum wage. ¹⁵

1. “Join Assata’s Daughters!” Assata’s Daughters. Accessed July 29, 2023. https://www.assatasdaughters.org/homie.
2. “Who Are Assata’s Daughters? A Q&A with Founder Page May.” City Bureau, April 18, 2018. https://www.citybureau.org/stories/2018/3/1/who-are-assatas-daughters-a-qa-with-founder-page-may.
3. “‘The Goal Is to Abolish the Police’: A Conversation with Assata’s Daughters.” In These Times. Accessed July 30, 2023. https://inthesetimes.com/article/abolish-police-black-lives-matter-uprisings-assatas-daughters-chicago.
4. “Join Assata’s Daughters!” Assata’s Daughters. Accessed July 29, 2023. https://www.assatasdaughters.org/homie.
5. “Our Herstory.” Assata’s Daughters. Accessed July 29, 2023. https://www.assatasdaughters.org/our-herstory-2019.
6.  “Join Assata’s Daughters!” Assata’s Daughters. Accessed July 29, 2023. https://www.assatasdaughters.org/homie.
7. “Our Herstory.” Assata’s Daughters. Accessed July 29, 2023. https://www.assatasdaughters.org/our-herstory-2019.
8. “Our Herstory.” Assata’s Daughters. Accessed July 29, 2023. https://www.assatasdaughters.org/our-herstory-2019.
9. “Assata Shakur: From Civil Rights Activist to FBI’s Most-Wanted.” The Guardian, July 13, 2014. https://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/jul/13/assata-shakur-civil-rights-activist-fbi-most-wanted.
10. “Join Assata’s Daughters!” Assata’s Daughters. Accessed July 29, 2023. https://www.assatasdaughters.org/homie.
11. “Who Are Assata’s Daughters? A Q&A with Founder Page May.” City Bureau, April 18, 2018. https://www.citybureau.org/stories/2018/3/1/who-are-assatas-daughters-a-qa-with-founder-page-may.
12. “Revolutionary Support Lead Job Description.” Google Docs. Accessed July 30, 2023. https://docs.google.com/document/d/13VJ3yVoqhstAWVV3VBIJGqz7_LLf6TBvmHIJ0V354KM/edit.
13. “‘The Goal Is to Abolish the Police’: A Conversation with Assata’s Daughters.” In These Times. Accessed July 30, 2023. https://inthesetimes.com/article/abolish-police-black-lives-matter-uprisings-assatas-daughters-chicago.
14. “Who Are Assata’s Daughters? A Q&A with Founder Page May.” City Bureau, April 18, 2018. https://www.citybureau.org/stories/2018/3/1/who-are-assatas-daughters-a-qa-with-founder-page-may.
15. Illinois Review. “More on Chicago Activist Page ‘F*** the Police!’ May.” Illinois Review, April 4, 2016. https://www.illinoisreview.com/illinoisreview/2016/04/page-may.html.